Sealing strip guide



Feb. 26, 1963 M. SCHNABOLK 3,079,036

SEALING STRIP GUIDE Filed May 19. 1961 .INVENTOR'. I 6'? 43 flfa'eke/s Saw/M45041! p 3,079,036 SEALING STE-till GUmE Morris Schnabolk, 2146 E. 8th St., Brooklyn, FLY. Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,208 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-52) This invention relates to a kitchen aid, and more particularly to a sealing strip guide for use in opening cans and the like.

arious types of foodstuffs such as coffee, peanuts, candy, lard, etc. are packed in a vacuum type can. This type of can is usually provided with a sealing strip of deformable metal which is generally removed by unwinding, using a key. Very often, when unwinding, the sealing strip becomes vertically displaced from the coils which have already been wound around the key. When this mishap occurs, the sealing strip then becomes wound about the key at a location vertically displaced from the position of the sealing strip on the can, rendering the sealing strip comparatively difficult to further wind about the key.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means for guiding a sealing strip so that it can be wound in tight coils about a key, thereby assuring that the mechanical advantage provided by the key is always maintained with the forces on the sealing strip for removing the sealing strip being brought into play in the same planes as that in which the sealing strip is formed with the sides of the can whereby the removal of the sealing strip and hence the opening of the can is facilitated.

In the past, the various types of can openers for use opening cans of the vacuum type have been devised. These can openers are for the most part very complex and have required rollers, springs or other similar devices for facilitating engaging of the can by the can opener. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of these highly complex devices by forming out of a single body a highly effective sealing strip guide in which a supporting shoulder is provided for the key so that as the key has the coils wound thereon it may move from a position immediately adjacent the can to a position against the shoulder.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sealing strip guide which is provided with planar outer faces so that any force applied thereon will naturally tend to press the guide against the can and maintain it on the can.

Still further objects and features of the present invention reside in the provision of a sealing strip guide that is simple in construction, capable of being manufactured out of any readily available materials such as synthetic plastics, metal, or the like, and which may be inexpensively formed of an integral body thereby allowing Wide use and distribution.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this sealing strip guide, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sealing strip guide showing the manner in which the guide is positioned on a can with respect to the key which has already been engaged with the tab of the sealing strip;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sealing strip guide in association with a vacuum type can and key for use in opening the can with a portion of the sealing strip guide being broken away to show other parts in detail;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the plane of line 3-3 in FIG. 2 illustrating the sealing strip guide and the key during an initial stage of the removal of the sealing strip from the can;

:FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 but illustrat- 3,079,036 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 ing the position of a key after a number of coils of the sealing strip had been Wound around the key;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view with parts being broken away to show other parts in detail of the sealing strip guide with the key and coils of the sealing strip wrapped around; and,

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the manner in which the key having coils of the sealing strip wrapped therearound is removed from the sealing strip guide.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 generally designates a conventional vacuum packed can having cylindrical side walls 12., a top 14 provided with an upwardly extending rim to and a sealing strip 18 which when removed from the side walls 12 and the top 14 allow the top to be readily removed from the can. The side walls 12 are provided with a peripheral rib 26 extending circumferentially about the can in spaced relationship to the rim 16.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is provided a sealing strip guide generally indicated by reference numeral 30 which is formed of an integral body of synthetic plastic material such as polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like or which may 'optionally be formed of metal, wood, or other material. The sealing strip guide 30 is adapted to be used in conjunction with a key 32 for moving the sealing strip 18 to thereby enable the opening of the can. The key 32 has a handle 34- for providing mechanical advantage and is also provided with a slot 36 therein of suitable size for receiving the tab 38 as is conventionally provided for the sealing strip 18. The tab as shown in FIG. 1 is passed through the slot 36 and hooked around the key 32, so that upon rotating the handle 34 in the direction indicated by arrow 41), the sealing strip 18 will be parted from the side wall 12 and the top 14 and will be wound around the key in tight coils. In order to prevent vertical displacement of the coils, the sealing strip guide 30 is adapted to be utilized in conjunction with the key 32. The guide 30 includes a body 42 which is provided with outwardly converging or tapered outer faces 34 and 36 shaping the body into a substantially triangular member having a concave inner face 48 adapted to lie flush against and to conform to the contours side Walls 12 of the can 10.

A horizontally extending groove 50 is formed in the body 42 and is slightly larger than the sealing strip 18 in height so as to permit the sealing strip 18 to stand vertically therein in coils wound around the key 32. The body is further provided with a vertically extending slot 54 which extends therein normal to the groove 50 and ten minates inwardly of the groove to define an arcuate rest 56 or bearing surface for the key 32 after a number of coils have been wound around the key 32. The groove 54 terminates inwardly of the outer surface 58 of the groove 50.

A recess 62 is formed in the inner face 48 of the body 4-2 and is adapted to receive the rib 20 therein for guiding the body 42.

lnte rally formed with the body 42 is an arcuate projection 66 having a substantially horizontally extending portion 68 and a downwardly extending portion 70 so that the projection '66 is substantially L-shaped in cross section and adapted to overlie the rim 16 and engage the inner surface of the rim 72 hookingly holding the guide 30 in position on the can 10.

In use, the key 32 is engaged with the sealing strip 18 with the tab 38 being hooked about the key 32 so that rotation of the key in the direction indicated by arrow '40 will cause the sealing strip 18 to become wound in tight coils about the key. With the key in the position shown in FIG. 1, the guide 30 is arranged so that the projection 66 is hooked over the rim 16 with the key entering the slot 50. This will automatically align the groove 50 with the sealing strip 18. As the sealing strip 18 is wound around the key 32, the sea-ling strip will be prevented from vertical displacement. After a number of coils have become wound on the key, the key will lie against the shoulder or rest formed by an arcuate bearing surface 56. However, the groove 50 is deep enough to permit further coils to become wound on the key. After the sealing strip has been entirely removed from the cam, Without the possibility of. the sealing strip projecting outwardly of the guide due to the fact that the key is always maintained inwardly of the planar surfaces 44 and 46, the body 42 with the key and coil wrapped therearound may be readily removed in its entirety from the guide 30 in a direction indicated by arrow 78, FIG. 6. Then, the key with the coil drawn by the sealing strip 18 wound thereabout may be disposed of.

It :is to be noted that the guide 30 need not be held by the user during Winding of the key 32 due to the fact that the hooklike projection 66 will maintain the guide 30 in place. Further, the guide '30 will be prevented from rising by the interaction of the rib 20 and the recess 62. Further, if the guide 30 is held, the surfaces 44 and 46 are so arranged that forces on the guide will generally be transferred inwardly towards the can, always aidings and maintaining the guide in place.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features'of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

I claim:

A sealing strip guide for use in combination with a key in removing the top of a can having the top provided with a rim and with the top secured in place by a circumferential sealing strip, said can having a peripheral rib spaced below and parallel to the rim, said guide comprising a body having a horizontally inwardly opening groove therein of slightly greater width than the height of the sealing strip to be removed, said body having vertical outwardly converging planar outer faces and having an inner concave face adapted to abut against and conform to the contours of the can to be opened, said groove opening into said concave face, said body having a horizontal groove therein opening into said concave face for receiving said rib, said body having a slot therethrough extending normal to said first recited groove and opening into said concave face and having a depth less than that of the groove and forming a shoulder against which the key can lie during the winding thereof, said body having an arcuate projection of L- shaped cross section extending inwardly from the top part of said concave face for engaging the inner surface of the rim of the can to be opened.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,612,287 Snook Sept. 30, 1952 2,708,530 Patterson May 17, 1955 2,721,673 Tantfest Oct. 25, 1955 2,784,866 Virgilio Mar. 12, 1957 2,804,231 Oflutt Aug. 27, 1957 2,942,755 Cloughct a1 June 28, 1960 

